Tuning pegs presently used on cello musical instruments have handle members integrally part of the cylindrical peg portion of the tuning peg and which extend laterally and oppositely from the tuning box of the instrument. The lateral protrusion of the handles which are nearest to the musician's head prevent the musician from resting the neck of the instrument comfortably against his neck and therefore from attaining a posture in which his cervical or spinal vertebra may be extended to reduce back strain and to achieve enhanced freedom of movement. The lateral extension of the tuning pegs closest to the musician's head compel the musician to play the instrument in a hunched position and thereby inhibit the musician from attaining a healthy posture while the instrument is being played. Because of the poor posture that the cello musician is compelled to maintain while playing the instrument, cellists experience a high rate of back discomfort and in many cases injury which ultimately prevents the cellist from playing the instrument for any extended periods of time.